Nobody's Dream
by mwacha
Summary: When Serenity tries to escape her past and present from the aid of her pen-pal, Shu, will her future help her escape or will it only come back to haunt her? Rated M for graphic lemon situations. First chapter is very graphic. Be appropriate with critique please, this if a first fanfiction for me.
1. Goodbye Carolina's, Hello Japan

_Chapter One_

_And then shelly turned around and said with a voice not her own, "I am byakko, I am here to watch over this human again" and then a shorter gentleman with hair spiked up to a peak spoke, "I am the dragon master of the dragon of the -" _

Snort.

Serenity snorts the most disgusting snort possible as she reads over the last scenario on the page. Who writes this stuff anyway?

She reads through yet another ill-conceived idea for fiction. Chuckling to herself she shoves some chips into her mouth as she scrolls through the web for interest. Fanfiction was always entertaining to read.

There was the erotic section, the sappy teenage love section, the scary BDSM section, and the overwhelming crack-fic section.

Without any real goal in mind the titles begin to blur together for the young lady. Sighing and stuffing her face with even more chips, she rolls her eyes and wipes away the crumbs from her fingers.

Serenity begins coughing profusely, spraying chip and spittle on her precious laptop.

"Shit." She curses with little enthusiasm.

For someone who says the care about their precious technology, she sure doesn't seem to care too much about chip residue on her screen and keyboard. She uses her hand to sloppily wipe the crumbs and spit off her technology and sighs again.

Life always seems so much more inviting in a fictional world.

She takes a swig of tequila straight from the bottle as she stares blankly at the screen.

Why couldn't she have an adventure like everyone seemed to have?

"For God's sake, Serenity, it's not like your life is the most boring. Get over yourself. You're being a pathetic drunk." She says to herself as she stands from her desk and walking over to her bedroom window. The room itself wasn't necessarily small, but it was definitely in the "cozy" category.

Serenity pulls her two-toned curls on to the top of her head and puts it through a hair tie to form a sloppy bun. Her deep red roots show through the blonde dye and the loose hairs proceed to curl around her. Resigning herself to a messy hairdo, she opens the window and takes a breath in.

The air was crisp and had the bite of late autumn, as winter decides to make its way through the town. Goosebumps began to form on her upper arms, which were encased in a sleeve tattoo of various herbs and specific flowers, each one meaning a different thing to her. She rubs her arms up and down to keep the warmth in, but also relishing in the cold wrapping around her. The day was long over, and as she glanced at the small alarm clock on her pitiful looking nightstand it glared at her with bright red numbers reading 3:00 a.m.

Where had the time gone?

She had to be up in a couple of hours for her shift at the good old mart-o-death down the road. No doubt her boss will be there, ready to yell at her for the lack of organization, even though she put everything back the way it should have been.

Serenity looks at herself in the mirror propped against her desk and wall of her room. Her blonde and red curls look like a silly mess, and there are crumbs of chips on her sweatshirt. Her jeans look faded and frayed in many areas, but most would think this as intentional wear on her attire. Little do they know she's just dirt poor living paycheck to paycheck.

Suddenly a wine and bark break the silence of her room, and 80 pounds of muscle come plundering into her, knocking her body to the floor, only to be met with one bright blue eye and one gold eye.

"Pupp!" she laughs and hugs her dog.

Pupp may look fierce with her eerie eyes and her large body looming over her master, but in reality the dog is as cuddly as a teddy bear to friends. The dog's black fur gets mashed into Serenity's face as she struggles to get up off the floor.

"Pupp!" she says again, this time with more force in hopes the beastie will move off her.

Pupp does as she's asked and gets off her master, wagging her whip-like tail into the dresser, making a thwak thwak thwak against the plywood dresser. Pupp's eyes light up in mischievous glee as she looks at her master and her mouth opens in a lazy smile, with her tongue lolling out and panting.

What a silly dog.

"Come on Pupp. Time for bed." Serenity says before laughing and lying down on her rickety old bed. No way in hell she's be having sex on this thing if she could help it. Her neighbors would surely hear if she ever did decide to have sex again.

The dog pounces onto the bed, making a ridiculous screeching noise and settles on her own pillow next to her own master's. They lay under the covers together and look at each other before Pupp gets anxious and snuggles closer to her master.

"Jesus, Pupp, I swear you're so clingy sometimes!" Serenity huffs as she pats her dog on the head.

The last thing Serenity hears before drifting off is a snort from Pupp and the even snoring of her best friend.

"_FUCKING WAKE UP YOU WHORE!" says a familiar voice. She can feel pain in her lower stomach, and hear a thumping noise going rhythmically. A slapping sound resonates through the area. Her eyes are still closed. Why does it hurt so much?_

_She opens her eyes and sees a man hovering over her. And it clicks._

_This is the man who has been the bane of her existence since she started dating him._

_He pounds into her over and over, occasionally grabbing her breast and painfully twisting it in his own sick fantasy. She must have passed out some time between then and now, because he never stopped. _

"_Yah, you like it rough, don't you bitch?" he grunts out as he starts thrusting harder. _

_She whimpers in fear. It hurts so bad, and she knows she must be bleeding from how hard he's fucking her. _

_Hands go around her throat. She can't breathe._

_The world is going dark._

_Something putrid and smelling of iron is thrust into her face as warm viscous liquid shoots out. _

"_Take it all bitch. Ah. YES. You dirty fucking whore!" he screams as he cums onto her face. Still choking her. Still losing oxygen. _

_The world is fading to black around the edges and all she can see is his malicious smile, fangs of a horrible man reflected in the dim light as she tries to scream out. She's struggling. _

_She's dying._

A loud bark in her ear startles Serenity awake. She's covered in sweat and tears are freely running down her face.

Startled and disoriented, the redhead looks around in fright, as if the son of a bitch is still in her room. Is this her room?

Doing a double sweep, she realizes that it is, in fact, her bedroom. Her same ragged old dresser with its ghetto mirror barely standing up is in the corner, her laptop showing her a screen saver of various flowers.

Safe.

She was safe.

Then she looked at her alarm. Yet again, she woke up an hour before her alarm is supposed to go off.

She sighs and feels the violent nightmare recede into the back of her mind as she looked at her dog with a grumpy expression.

"Fuck it. Want some eggs too, Pupp?" she asks her loving companion who was snuggling under the covers of the bed. Pupp's head pops up from the pillow and blanket created fort and pants in confirmation. The thumping of her tail could be heard underneath the blankets to help reinforce the dog's decision, that, _yes_ eggs are good and _yes_ she would like some.

Pupp's face, so full of expression, seemed to look haughtily at her owner and leapt from the bed towards their small kitchen.

"I know I know, I'm coming. Give me a minute to get dressed properly! And check my e-mail!" she ground out to her dog as if expecting some response.

Scrolling through her e-mails, she finds a response to a letter she had sent out earlier in the previous day. The subject read, "Inquiry" pure and simple.

_Dear Serenity,_

_It sounds like you could use a change of scenery from all the exasperated messages about boring landscapes and angry customers. Why not come to Japan for a few weeks? I know that you may not be able to afford it, but I believe our university here is offering a study abroad opportunity for the spring semester. If you're interested, I'd say apply. Tell them that Dr. M recommended you. _

_Let me know what you decide. _

_Respectfully,_

_Shu._

Well, whoever Dr. M is, sure sounds like they have a lot of leeway with their department heads.

Rolling her eyes Serenity sends back a response e-mail stating that she would ask, but is doubtful of the results.

After typing her closing statement, she sends it off and dresses for work.

Her work uniform consists of a sad looking bowling type of t-shirt and khaki slacks. Sighing with dread, she puts on her uniform and walks out to make the dog and her breakfast.

Maybe the eggs would be good today. She did buy them from a local farmer. Well, more like bartered really, but who cares about the details. She has the eggs and she'll cook them, god damn it .

Grabbing a skillet from a crooked drawer, Serenity begins her morning ritual of cooking eggs and tortillas for her, and some scrambled eggs for Pupp since she was out of dog food.

"I'm going to have to go buy some more food for you….But maybe not until we move to Japan considering I'm going to be asking for this study abroad trip." She says, facing her eggs.

Pupp quirks her head to the side and stares at her owner, looking ever like the curious dog she is.

Serenity just sighs and nods before handing the dog a plate of scrambled eggs on the floor and putting her food onto the table.

They eat quickly but quietly.

After a long day of work, many screaming customers, and fucking messed up shelves, Serenity was ready to come home.

She had called up her financial aid and transfers office at her school and they had decided that they would accept her into the study abroad program in Japan since she was a first time transfer and a straight A student. Her credentials were in order and she'd be leaving in about a week.

Such little time for her to pack and prepare herself to move.

It seemed that the gods of good fortune were smiling down on her as she hummed and whistled a nameless tune and walked to the bus stop.

One week before she could leave this hell hole of a town behind.

Goodbye Carolinas, hello Japan.


	2. Rick The Dick

Author Note: Hello there, I'm a long time lurker but a first time author here, I know many of you will neglect to read this, or not care, or whatever…..BUT I would appreciate some feedback (like everyone else on this site) on what you think. I'm sure you're wondering, "Well, mwacha, where is the yu yu hakusho gang?!" to which I will tell you: sorry! I know you all love having (or at least many, including myself) the yu yu hakusho group in the first chapter, but I feel that it's important to provide at least some background (if not quite a bit) of background story of my character, Serenity.

TL;DR Just please review, tell me what you like, what you didn't like, what I could work on, what you want to see more of. Sorry the love interest character isn't in yet. I'm working on it!

Onwards with the chapter!

"Listen, this is the third time this week that I have been unsatisfied with your customer service. You keep selling me horrible merchandise and I want a reimbursement. FULL, this time, idiot" says a high-pitched nasally female voice belonging to a middle aged woman with gray roots and horrible moles everywhere on her face. She smells of smoke and has the cough to prove her suspected habit.

Serenity choked down the urge to vomit profusely over the wilted looking woman, and struggles to keep her professional smile as the woman verbally abuses her.

_It's only a few more days and then I can finally quit this hell hole and leave!_ She tells herself.

The mere thought of finally being able to move away from everything that haunts her gives her smile a tinge of near-manic glee. If only the woman in front of her knew how much her perfume offended her sensitive nose, how the smoke lingering on the lady's breath made her gag, and how her voice positively made the paint on the walls peel.

"Are you even listening to me!? HELLO?!" screeched the offending woman and slammed her ham-like fists down upon the counter.

Blinking to contain her anger and resisting a roll of her eyes, Serenity looks at the woman and smiles with the flames of hell burning in her eyes, promising a severe punishment if the old lady were to speak out again.

Taken aback at the younger girl's hostility, the woman takes a step back and quiets down before Serenity takes a breath and says,

"You know something, Mrs. Fuckwit? I have had it up to HERE" she illustrates by holding her hand at eye level and continues, "with people like you who keep pushing us poor customer service workers around. All you do is come in and blame us for your mistakes. You're positively ugly inside and out. You smell of cheap whore perfume and cigarettes." The two-toned woman takes a breath. She grins and bares her teeth to better show her irritation. Her Caribbean blue eyes with veins of gold are reflecting off the overhead lights in repressed anger.

"So, fuck it, I quit, I'm not doing this anymore! I don't care if I have another two days before I leave, but I can't stand you or the others like you! Good bye, Miss wannabe Nanny character, I am OUT. O-U-T!" Serenity finally declares, slamming her hands on the table.

"ExCUSE ME!?" screeched the lady across the table. Her indignant look turns into rage and she reaches across the counter to choke Serenity. Her eyes bulged with unhidden rage. Her fingers reaching for Serenity's neck seemed to extend.

Was that an illusion?

Gasping and dodging out of the way of the crazy customer, Serenity looks around as her fellow workers move in to hold the lady back.

"I'll fucking kill you stupid mortal bitch! How dare you speak to me that way! I will fucking rip your head off!" the woman screeches as she's carried away and out the store.

Serenity sees the manager running towards her with a furious look on his face.

Fuck it. She was gone. She quit.

Sighing and rubbing her eyes with one hand she slowly drags her hand down her face with weary motion. When she looks back at her hand there's red running in a dark smear across the inside of her hand. Serenity's eyes widen in shock and she rushes to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

Instead of something simple like a small scratch that bled easily, she sees the "little" present from the lady: three claw marks running down her face from the middle of her cheek to under her chin.

"I knew she nicked me but I didn't think it was that serious…." She says in wonder as she stares into the wound.

Hopefully with time and careful attention it won't scar.

Pouting and mourning the loss of her unmarred skin, Serenity runs some water and cleans her wound.

"Fuck. Man, I am so glad I'm leaving." She said with a heavy sigh.

What was up with that lady?

It was like she couldn't handle being ignored, and it wasn't like her nails looked that sharp...or were they?

Shaking her head to free herself from the memory, Serenity grabbed her belongings before setting out of the hell-job. Giving the finger while walking out, she tried to regally exit the store, but with her hands full of all her personal items and her clumsy nature, she was only met with gravity.

Gravity, of course, is in the form of dropping all her belongings and tripping over the belongings.

"AH FUCK!" she screams as she falls to the ground. She closes her eyes as she hears the crazed woman in the background being dragged away to the back of the store while they wait for police.

But nothing happens.

Opening her eyes, she looks up to see lime green eyes and a mane of gold staring back in mock concern.

"Oh, Serenity, there you are. I've been looking for you. What happened to your cheek?" the young man says as he looks at her.

Flinching as he goes to caress her cheek in a loving embrace, the blonde and red haired woman stands up quickly and looks at the man meekly.

"Hey, Rick. It's been a few weeks since I last saw you. Where have you been?" she asks, while averting her eyes towards the ground.

The man smirks, barely hiding evil intentions.

"You don't need to worry about that, babe. Let's head back to my place, since you seem to have…disappeared for a while. I went by your old place and the land lady said you no longer lived there. I wonder why that is?" he says feigning ignorance.

Serenity's eyes dart back and forth looking unconsciously for an exit plan. Before she could find a successful reason to leave, she looks up and is met with Rick's hands taking her stuff and walking her to his Mustang car.

"I always hated this car."

"Did you say something, babe?" was the icy response.

"Nothing." She says meekly.

He opens the door for her and shoves her into the passenger seat.

_Oh shit, he's mad._ Serenity thinks to herself. All she can do is sit quietly while looking for some way to escape again. As she's looking around the parking lot she sees the crazed customer from earlier staring her down. She makes a cutting of the throat motion while keeping eye contact.

What the hell was wrong with this woman?!

Rick starts the car and they speed away, all the while the woman is glaring daggers through the window of the store.

Before Serenity knew it they had arrived at a large expensive looking apartment complex. Where had the time gone?

Rick exits the car and grabs her arm firmly.

"Ouch, you're hurting me!" she yelps as she feels his hand twist her arm painful.

He ignores her protests and drags her into the apartment.

"So you thought you could avoid me forever, huh? Thought moving would get rid of me?" the golden headed man said with his voice as harsh as a winter storm.

"I didn—"

"Shut your whore mouth right now." He hissed in a quiet voice.

"But I jus—"

"I SAID SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH!" he roared as he slammed his first into her injured cheek, sending her sprawling.

"You know I don't like to be talked over, pet. Don't make me chain you."

Serenity whimpers as she holds her injured cheek. He didn't have to hit so damn hard.

"Good. Now. Make me some dinner." He says with a menacing tone.

Serenity glares and gets up, she looks like she's about to make a retort but thinks better on it before walking to the kitchen of the high end apartment.

Make him dinner? She'd rather choke on shards of cut up cd's.

Rick was a man she had met at the bar a couple months ago. She had thought him nice enough and decided a one night fling was what she needed that night. So, she went home with the man and had a wonderful time.

But then he started getting clingy, he kept asking where she was. He would call her and text her during work hours, and he'd show up everywhere, including her old apartment. She didn't even tell him where she lived before.

She let it go thinking she had previously told him, or that he had seen it on her profile somewhere, but then he started getting violent with her.

At first it was shaking her, grabbing her too harshly, but then it escalated to choking and hitting and assault. It was near impossible to hide all the burns, scars, and bruises from her coworkers and classmates. Thank God for makeup.

Sighing, Serenity gets started on dinner just to hold onto hope that he wouldn't touch her anymore that night. She chops some vegetables and takes meat out of the fridge to make a simple stir fry.

While she was putting the meat into the pan with the veggies she felt arms wrap around her and lock her in place.

There was a breath as the man breathed in her scent and held her from behind.

"You smell good." He said.

Since he was so close she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Shit he had been drinking.

His hands slipped lower and lower, slowly stopping above her breasts. She was shivering from fear, but she was sure he was taking it as excitement.

"It's been so long. I've missed you." He slurs out as he starts to firmly grip her breasts.

Wincing, Serenity remains silent from fear of being hurt or him deciding to try to sexually assault her again.

He spins her around and forces her to face him. He kisses her with a ferocity and tastes of pure alcohol.

Resisting the urge to gag, Serenity stands still and refuses to give in to his advances.

She hears the soft sound of unzipping and the clank of pants being dropped to the tiled floor.

Her anxiety is through the roof. Would he really try something right now?

He grabs her by the hair and holds her head back as he starts assaulting her neck with hurtful bites and sucking on her neck, thinking he's seducing her.

Tears start falling and she struggled to get him off her.

She screams but is only hit in the face and silences by a hand choking her.

He turns her around and rips off her pants and leans her against the counter.

"You fucking whore, I'll fuck you any way I want. You're MINE you hear me? MINE. You'll never escape me, not even death will release you from my grip." He seethes as he starts pumping himself and moans. Still having a hand on her, he bends her over and shoves her against the countertop so she can't move.

She's screaming now and can't escape. Why didn't she just scream and call the police when she had the chance?

He forces a finger inside her and she cries out in agony.

He kicks her in the back on the leg and she loses her balance, forcing her onto his impaling hand again. He fingers her hash and she can feel a wrong wet feeling between her legs. She must be bleeding from his assault.

"STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OFF ME YOU RAPIST! YOU FUCKING RAPIST! ROT IN HELL!" she screams as he continues his onslaught.

All he does is punches her in the head and she goes down, her head bouncing off the cabinets above the counter and onto the countertop.

Dazed, she struggles to find anything at her disposal to stop the man from what he is doing to her.

He turns her around swiftly again and starts choking her and places his throbbing member at her entrance.

She is sobbing and struggling to keep him away from her now bleeding opening. She's starting to see stars from him choking her.

"I'm gonna rape you and you're never going to leave here. Not alive at least." He smirks as he yanks her hair with one hand and thrusts into her.

Screaming she grabs the closest thing with a handle next to her and hits him with it.

There's a sound of slicing and gurgles as he falls out of her and onto the floor.

She's choking and crying as she sits up and looks at what's in her hand.

It's the kitchen knife she was using to cut up vegetables. And it's sticking out of his stomach.

The man Rick is lying on his side, slowly bleeding onto the linoleum tiled floor.

"Shit…Shit Shit SHIT SHIT!" she repeats from softly to progressive loudness. She was finally done with this man but the end result was not what she wanted. Was he dead? Would he die? Should she call the police? If he died, how do you even dispose of a body?

She could hear his groan on the floor. She stares down at him with evil glee. Maybe now was the time to get her revenge.

How could he do all those things to her and get away with it?

Seething with rage now, she picks herself off the counter and grabs the knife out of his stomach. Looking down at him she slowly raises the knife above her head.

He's screaming in pain at having the metal object pulled from his abdomen.

He looks up at her with a scared expression, "Why?" he whispers as he clutches his stomach in pain again. There's a slow river of red coming out of a hole in his shirt where she stabbed him.

"Fuck you." she says before slamming the knife down.

Her eyes flash with rage as she pins him to the floor by his leg. She stabbed him in the leg and squats down to his level as he is writhing in pain and screaming it to the world. She ignores his howls of rage as she grabs him by the back of the head and forces him to look into her eyes,

"If you try to find me, if you even so much as ask where I've gone, I will come back and finish what I've started. You fucking asshole, if I find out you've done something like this to others, I'll chop off your dick and feed it to you. How about that, _BABE_?" she snarls at him.

He whimpers and all he can do it stare into her eyes and plead for his life, while also showing a hint of anger at having the tables turned around.

"That's what I thought, you piece of trash." She says before getting up and kicking him in the head. His eyes roll up into the back of his head and he goes limp on the floor.

She grabs the keys to his car and walks out the door.

It was going to be a long night.


	3. Where's All The Shrines!

Author Note: Hello! First, a quick shout out to the following people: DarkWolf1689 and a guest named Cassidy. Thank you both for the words of encouragement. I will try to keep my tenses in the proper order! Second: I know some people have been wondering who the significant other will be and I honestly haven't decided yet since I believe this story can go many ways. We'll all just have to go with the flow I suppose. Thank you for being patient with my updating I know that this is only two chapters right now, but I am struggling to push myself forward and write and produce something within a reasonable amount of time. This may change when student teaching begins.

I'm also struggling trying to find a proper page break that will work when I upload the document. I'll figure something out eventually.

TL;DR: I love you all and please review. Let me know what you like and/or don't like. Questions, comments, and concerns are always welcome. Hell, as long as you are polite and can back it up, feel free to shit down my throat about something you hated.

ONWARDS WITH THE STORY!

/

Serenity rushes out the door and slams onto the hood of the Mustang as she slides across it to the driver's side of the car. Her hands are shaking as her body processes what just occurred in that horrible apartment while her mind logically processes what she needs to do before she can break down.

Get home

Finish Packing

Pack up Pupp.

…Shit.

Why, of all days, did that asshole have to show up?!

"GODDAMN COCKSUCKER!" she screams into the night sky with clenched fists.

A neighbor's dog starts barking in response to her scream in the distance.

"Fuck this shit." She mumbles as she gets into the disgusting rape-mobile. She spent too many nights in the back seat crying silently at what that bastard did to her, and she is no longer going to let herself be controlled.

Enough was enough.

No more crying in the back seat of a car. No more cleaning up after being beaten and _fucking raped_.

She scratches her head absentmindedly as she turns the key in the ignition and hears the roar of the engine.

She drives on to her own apartment in search of clean clothes and her best friend.

Serenity comes to a stop at her apartment and looks into the dark, unlit, home. Hopefully Pupp will not be mad at her.

"Sheesh, I hope she's not too hungry." The red and blonde-haired woman says to herself.

/

An angry growl resounds through the dark apartment.

"Pupp, stop that, you know it's just me." Serenity says, exasperated, into the dark void of the living room. She is not going to be putting up with anymore shit for the night.

Suddenly there's a large mass ramming into her gut and she falls to the floor with an "OOF!" and the air rushes out of Serenity's body.

"Goddamit Pupp get off of me!" she squeals as a hot wet tongue licks her face to death.

Trying to shove pure muscle off a person can be quite difficult.

Grunting, Serenity is successful in pushing off the giant beast and gets up.

Sighing she looks at the puppy-eyed blue and gold eyed mutt.

"I guess you want some food huh?"

A delighted bark was all the response she could expect from the dog.

Good enough for here.

"Okayyyyy….Let's see if we can get you something quick. I have to finish packing and then sleep so we can be on our way to JAPANNNN!" Serenity said in enthusiasm.

Pupp stares back at the woman as if to say, "whatever woman, you're nuts for just talking to me."

Serenity rolls her eyes before making some food for the dog.

/

_His hands slide up her shirt and his nails dig into her breasts, his talon-like nails drawing blood from the sheer force of which he was using. _

"_I told you to behave today, baby. I told you if you disobeyed my orders I would punish you." _

"_I-I'm sorry. I know. You're right." _

_If only he would leave her alone._

_His breath reeks of marijuana and liquor. _

_She's choking on the stench as he yanks her hair down in a harsh manner before gazing in a manic manner. _

"_You're going to eat this and you're going to savor every drop." He says with half lidded eyes which are bloodshot to hell. _

_She whimpers and refuses to look down, staring anywhere but at him. _

_The sound of a zipper and button being undone is the only sound in her ears. _

_The stench of it wafts into her nostrils, making her want to vomit right on the spot. _

_The offending appendage is shoved into her face, slapping her,_

"_Get to it, whore. My balls are aching for some release." He grunts as he smacks again, trying to shove the disgusting object into her mouth. _

_Oh God._

_Please no._

_She tries to move her head away and he pulls harsh on her hair to keep her in place, no doubt taking hairs out of her head. _

_She cries out and he shoves his dick into her mouth. _

_She gags and nearly vomits all over him. _

_He ignores her and keeps pumping into her. _

"_If you so much as think of using your teeth I will make sure no one finds your body." He grunts as he thrusts into her mouth. _

_Tears are streaming down her throat as she struggles to breathe. _

_He goes in and out of her mouth for what seems like an eternity. _

_She's crying harder, sobbing and taking air into her lungs when she can. _

_He cries out and hot viscous liquid runs down her throat. _

_She gags and cries out trying to spit it out of her mouth._

"_Yah babe! Take it all! AH! FUCK! I think I bust a nut." He groans as he comes. _

_She's crying harder. If only she could just escape him._

_If only he would just disappear._

_/_

Serenity wakes up with silent tears cascading down the sides of her face as she looks up into the ceiling of her apartment.

"My past is my past, and nothing can change that. But it doesn't define me." She whispers into her arms as she crosses them over her eyes as she slows her breathing down to normal.

She looks at her alarm clock. Five minutes before her alarm is supposed to go off again.

"Goddamit. Alright. Well at least we're early and can leave for the airport on time" she says while looking at Pupp who is sitting up underneath the covers and looks at her with her piercing eyes as if in a show of pity.

Serenity tries to smile at her companion but it only comes out as a grimace.

/

"Flight 5677 non-stop flight to Japan is boarding. Please report to gate 26F for boarding" says the overhead voice through the airport.

Serenity looks down at sees Pupp wearing her therapy dog vest and she smirks.

If only people knew how easy it was to just purchase these vests online the public would save much more money. Granted, Serenity has to pay for an additional seat, but it was worth it since she'd never return to this awful continent.

All the horrors of the past are going to be left behind in hopes of a new beginning.

Pupp whines and then trots to her seat in the plane.

"uhh..ma'am…would your, um, dog care for anything to drink?" the flight attendant asks as the two sit down in their choice of seats.

"No. Thanks" says Serenity as Pupp just stares politely at the woman.

The flight attendant rushes off to the front of the plane as the other attendants laugh at her.

Most likely it was a lost bet that made the woman ask.

Sighing, Serenity looks out the window and hopes for a short feeling flight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to direct your attention to the front of the aircraft for our safety explanations."

"This is a small aircraft so for those of you who have large items, you should have received a pink baggage ticket. Please do not lose that as that is your receipt, sort of, to pick up your bag when we land at our destination of Tokyo, Japan" says the flight attendant.

Serenity zones out and pets Pupp as she stares out the window again.

Dear god let this flight go by quickly.

/

"The pilot has just turned on the fasten seatbelt sign and would advise you to take your seat if you have not done so. We are experiencing some heavy turbulence" says the overhead voice of one of the flight attendants.

Serenity snaps awake and looks outside at the wings of the plane. What the hell is going on?

The plan is shaking and people are looking around nervous.

Everyone, that is, except for a few people who are smirking in the back row of the plane.

Why were they smirking?

The plane shakes again and the lights dim before the overhead compartment opens and the air masks come down.

Pure panic erupts as people are screaming and crying and reaching for their masks.

Serenity starts breathing heavily in nervousness and puts a mask on Pupp who is panting in panic as well.

She buckles up Pupp and secures herself to the seat before looking out the window again.

There's a storm raging outside and lightning crashing all around the plane like some sort of revenge against the airlines.

"SOMEONE HELP. I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" screeches an older woman in the background.

"Ma'am calm down." Says a male attendant and slowly pushes the woman back into her seat.

The people who looked amused and calm in the back stare down Serenity as she looks around the plane in hopes of finding one sane person.

The commotion is causing Pupp to anxiously whine and dance around in her seat.

Out of the group of people who were silently watching the madness in the plane, one was staring down Serenity.

The man staring down Serenity is sitting in the seat right next to the bathrooms in the back. His shaggy brown hair hides his light brown eyes.

Serenity leers at the man, trying to figure out why he looked out of place. Time seems to slow as she tries to process who the man is and what his purpose is.

He smirks and puts a finger up to his lips in a shushing motion and his image seems to waver from his normal look to something terrifying. His teeth elongate and his pupils seem to shrink to slits. His hair looks less brown and more…striped?

Why would his hair look striped?

Serenity whips herself to face the front of the aircraft again, trying to calm herself.

The plane starts beeping in seeming failure.

"OH SHIT WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!" screams a man in the background.

Serenity has panicked tears in her eyes as she turns around in her seat again to stare and see what the others are up to.

The same mystery man is still looking at her and is now baring his teeth in an animalistic smile.

"You…" she whispers while staring at the man again.

Serenity stands up and starts marching back to where the man sits.

"I don't know how you're doing this, but you need to stop it!" she starts angrily mumbling.

The man is positively mad with glee as he keeps silent.

"STOP IT! YOU STOP IT NOW!" she screams at him and yanks him up by the cuff of his shirt.

He snaps his fingers.

"We'll meet again" he says as he fades to mist.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Serenity screams looking around.

As she looks around she sees the rest of the passengers giving her stranger looks.

The man she was basically assaulting vanished and it looks like what she experienced never happened.

Gossiping whispers start to pervade the air and Pupp barks from near the front of the plane.

Grunting and blushing at what looks like an outburst and mental breakdown on her part, Serenity sits back in her assigned seat.

The rest of the flight goes well and there are no issues during the flight, but Serenity can't seem to get the thought of that strange man out of her head.

What was he doing there? Was he some sort of gremlin?

/

The plane lands and everyone walks off it like nothing was out of the ordinary.

The whole feeling of the trip puts Serenity on edge.

"What the fuck? What the FUCK?" she whispers to herself as her and Pupp walk from the gate to the pickup section of the airport.

The first thing she sees is a sign saying "Serenity."

"I'm guessing that's who's giving me a ride." She mumbles to herself before walking over to a proper looking professor. He has a polite smile on his face and his black hair glistens in the cheap overhead lights.

"Hey there! I'm Dr. Hiko here at the local university, I'm sure you got our message in your e-mail?" he greets while taking her luggage.

Pupp bars and wags her tail as she sniffs the man over. Huffing and giving a final snort, the man passes the test and Pupp walks silently next to Serenity.

"Yes, Dr. Hiko, I did receive your e-mail. I look forward to working with you all for the following semester!" she greets and shakes his hand and walks with him.

As they walk out Serenity is overwhelmed by the sheer amount of light and noise coming from the bustling city.

Where are all the shrines and nature?!


	4. Mini-Minnows

Chapter 4:

Author Note: Hello again! I would just like to start off that I am an unworthy human being who is but a bug under your shoe.

As to the reason why I haven't updated in a while? You guys, it's been a stressful past few days. I had to go through quite a bit which is too stupid and dramatic to even get into right now. Than you to all the people who have reviewed and read the past few chapters. I tried to make this one extra-long since it's been a while since I updated.

Also: please be patient as I get to know (figure out) the tense of the stories. I promise this is the last time I will change it. I will be going back to edit the rest of the tenses as well to help with continuity.

Onwards with the story!

/STORY START/

Pupp snorted into Dr. Hiko's ear as he drove them towards a residential neighborhood.

The man smiled and patted the dog on the head before he said, "This is where you will be living with your host family. Since you are the university's student here in Japan, we are obligated to find you room and board while you are staying here. The host family's name is Yamauchi. The mother's name is Ryoko Yamauchi and her husband Erai Yamauchi. You will be staying there with your host family for a semester here and attend classes that you have chosen already starting in a week." He pulled into a driveway, "I look forward to seeing you around campus Miss Serenity." He said as he put the car in drive.

Serenity had been awestruck at the sheer amount of light around the city but as soon as they got out of the hustle and bustle of the metropolis she could actually see more of the sleepy towns she was hoping to see.

Serenity had been listening to Dr. Hiko talk the entire ride and would absentmindedly pet Pupp while she listened.

Now that she was dropped off at the house, it was time for her to introduce herself to the host family.

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair in anxious anticipation.

What if they didn't like her?

What if they kicked her out?!

She came all this way and there was no way for her to get back to the states at this point.

Frustrated at herself for being so anxious she patted Pupp roughly on the head before walking up to the door.

She sighed again and pouted slightly while nervously fixing her appearance to make sure we was presentable.

Now or never.

She rang the doorbell and a frail but kind looking old lady answered the door. She looked Serenity up and down before her face lit up with excitement. Her face was wrinkled with age, but not enough to where you couldn't see her beauty. Her hair was matte black with strands of silver running through it that showed her age.

"You must be Serena!" the older woman said with a polite smile.

"Serenity Araceli. But yes, that's me. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed while introducing herself. Her hair flopped into her face as she bowed really low. She blushed in hopes that the lady didn't get offended by her correcting her.

The older lady bowed, "Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, Serenity suits you more. Please, come in, I'm Ryoko, and my husband is Erai. He should be inside somewhere, please do come in." she ushered the young bi-color haired woman inside their home. Their house on the outside was a two-story modern Western styled home with a beautiful shingled roof.

The inside looked as though it belonged to an elderly couple. It was seriously something out of a Harry Potter novel; the house looked like something Professor Umbridge would be in love with. There were cat saucers and frilly flower decorations everywhere.

The couch was even covered in a plastic liner.

Serenity struggled to surpress her urge to laugh as she saw the pink frills of the curtains in the windows and the pink stained countertops in the kitchen. While it was all relatively pink and girly, the place itself was clean and well-kept.

She sighed at the thought of staying in such a scary looking home and Serenity walked into the home with her hopes crushed. At least the woman seemed nice.

The man, who could only be Erai Yamauchi was sitting in his lazy boy chair and watching the television. There were various bodily noises coming from the man and Serenity had no doubt that it would be an interesting study abroad at least.

"This is my husband Erai Yamauchi. He's a construction worker at night so he's likely to be on his way soon since it's just past eight. Deary me, you must be so tired from traveling all the way from American to Japan." Ryoko laughed to herself.

Serenity just smiled politely as the woman showed her around the house.

"This is the kitchen, this is the bathroom, and here is your room. Your room has an adjoining bathroom so you should be fine if you have to take any nighttime trips to the bathroom!" the elder woman giggled to herself again, finding her own jokes funny as she told them.

Serenity sighed internally and politely smiled while the elderly woman showed her around the house. When would it be time for her to be alone with Pupp again? She was itching to just be able to take a shower and go to bed. The plane ride over was hectic and she was ready to collect her thoughts from the past few days. It almost felt like some God was working against her in any way possible.

For fuck's sake, when would she get a break?!

Ryoko smiled at Serenity with a knowing look, "Well you look absolutely pooped, I suppose it is past bed time for us. Dear are you hungry?" she asked. Serenity shook her head no. "Alright, dear, I'll leave you and your dear dog to your privacy. Do remember that we won't tolerate it if the dog goes to the bathroom in the house so I do hope it is house trained." The woman said with a tone of annoyance at the end of it.

It was obvious that Ryoko Yamauchi was a cat lady.

Before Serenity could put her own foot in her mouth Pupp snorted which caused Serenity to think before she spoke.

"Don't worry Yamauchi-san, Pupp is well trained and she wouldn't do anything against my command. She will behave while we stay here. Thank you again for both you and your husband's generosity." Serenity said while bowing down low again.

Ryoko smiled and bid her farewell while heading downstairs.

Finally alone, Serenity smiled and looked around the room. Thank God Ryoko decided against decorating this room! It was plain, with an egg white wall color with a traditional tatami floor.

The window had a small balcony one could sit and drink tea while watching the rising sun and moon. It would be a splendid room.

Serenity flopped down on the western style bed and looked at Pupp, "Well, it's a good thing this isn't a traditional style room or it would have been awkward trying to figure out where to put our stuff." Pupp's head perked to the side and her tongue lolled out as she panted in agreement.

Serenity snorted and patted the dog on the head and began unpacking.

Hopefully she could do some sightseeing and meet up with the mysterious Dr. M or whatever the guy's name was that Shu was talking about in their e-mails. Hell, maybe Serenity could finally put a face to Shu.

Serenity walked to the bathroom and began her nightly ritual of a shower.

She sighed in a pleasant way as she realized the bathroom was also modern. While it was modern, Serenity felt that she was missing something from the traditional style of the bathrooms.

Tomorrow would be a new day and Serenity was going to be sure to explore it as much as she could.

/PAGE BREAK/

Serenity woke with a gasp. The first thing she saw when her eyes focused was Pupp's arctic blue eye and her hawk-gold eye. What an odd combination.

She stared blankly at the dog while she struggled to remember her dream. There was pain and suffocation. Just like the rest of her dreams. She knew from experience that it was just her past experiences coming back to haunt her in different ways. Serenity suspected that with time she would have normal dreams once again.

Serenity was brought back to the present and, as she contemplated the uniqueness of her dog, a glob of drool from Pupp's mouth fell onto her forehead.

There was a pause as a look of horror spread slowly through Serenity's face as she began to understand what just happened to her.

"YUCK! Why?! Why would you do that?!" Serenity said as she wiped the sticky, viscous, liquid from her face.

Pupp's only response was a snuffle.

"Stupid mutt dog." Serenity mumbled.

Pupp's response was a choking type of laugh.

Serenity sighed and proceeded to walk into her adjoined bathroom and began her morning ritual. It was about 6:30 in the morning but Serenity was ready to get started with her exploring of the city.

Serenity looked into the mirror and saw her own dark blue eyes. She had bags under her eyes which was testament to her lack of sleep. If only she could take the advice people had given her and get over her past she would be able to sleep.

She sighed and began to strip and turn on the shower. Thank Goodness the bathroom was Western styled.

"I don't know what I would have done if they had Eastern styled bathrooms." Serenity mumbled to herself.

Serenity finished her morning ritual and put on concealer so her face would not look so rundown.

She sighed as she finished applying makeup and walked out of the bathroom.

Serenity grabbed her dog's leash just in case there were any laws prohibiting an unleashed down around town.

She opened the door and said goodbye to Mrs. Yamauchi before heading out.

She liked the elder woman well enough but for some reason Serenity got a bad vibe from Mr. Yamauchi. The man seemed to give off an aura of just pure darkness and tainted feelings.

Serenity brushed the feelings aside and set out to explore.

/PAGE BREAK/

Serenity sighed as her headache began to increase with the sound of people bustling about in the big city. Tokyo was known for being quite the metropolis, but Serenity was opposed to living in such a busy and noisy city.

If only she could go to the countryside of Japan. Little did she know when she signed up for her study abroad trip, Shu had neglected to say that her studies would take place in the busy city of Tokyo.

Now that she was able to look around, though, she could see hints of the traditional ways of the beautiful country. If she looked hard enough she could likely spot someone wearing a kimono, but her mind was focused elsewhere.

Today was the day she would find out who Shu was. The person had been sending e-mails with her since her senior year of high school. Now that she was 23 and in her last year of university, she was ready to figure out whom the person was. Were they male? Female?

Serenity let out a frustrated sigh and began her trek towards Tokyo University so she could fill out her paperwork and then check her e-mail. Her things had yet to arrive from the U.S. so she was stuck trying to use a cellphone not made for going international.

"FUCK!" she said in a harsh whisper.

"I guess now's a good a time as any to get a new phone. Upgraaaaa~~~de time!" Serenity said in a singsong voice. Her eyes lit up with the prospect of having a new electronic device.

Her lifestyle and personality were always contradicting themselves. First she wants to live only in the countryside away from others, but she wanted the perks of the best and newest technology that a metropolis offered.

She pouted and kept her head up as she walked into the administration building to finish her paperwork.

As she walked into the building she noticed a sign on the door that said, "No animals allowed." Pupp whined. "Well, girl, I guess we should find a spot for you." Serenity said as she looked for a post to tie her up.

"I know it's not the best of the situation but I promise I'll be back soon so don't bite anyone!" she said cheerfully to her loving dog. Pupp snuffled and sat obediently while staring with bright eyes at her owner. "Good dog." Serenity said while patting her on the head and headed into the building once again.

/PAGE BREAK/

Serenity left the office in a huff and slammed the door. How dare that woman. How DARE she insult her fluency skills. Serenity had been speaking Japanese just fine, with the exception of her accent. Bitch.

She huffed again and stomped out towards the entrance of the building. She slammed into someone in her haste and toppled backwards. "Shit" she cursed in a softer than normal manner, in hopes that the person who slammed into her didn't hear her.

Before she could hit the ground, time seemed to slow; and, it was like something out of a movie as a hand reached out to catch her fall.

…But he was too late and she hit the ground with a thud.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize where I was going!" said a silky smooth voice.

Serenity looked up with a groan as she rubbed her side which hit the pavement hardest. Her eyes met with a sea of deep red hair and piercing green eyes.

Serenity stared in a rude manner.

Why the _hell_ did this guy look so girly?

Seriously, how many guys had eyelashes that long and features so sharp?!

Serenity's lack of automatic response gained a look of concern masked with…what? Was that irritation?

Serenity's eyes narrowed, "Yes I'm fine thank you." She said as the man held out his hand again to pull her up. Too proud to accept help from this feminine man, Serenity stood with the grace of a newborn giraffe. That is, to say, it was an awkward process of trying to stand.

The man's eyes showed amusement. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't see you when I was walking. I believe my mind was elsewhere." He said with his soft but masculine tone.

For a man who looked so girly he sure had an alluring voice…

Wait.

No.

HELL NO.

Serenity was NOT going to let herself fall for this shit again. She thought she learned her lesson from the other asshole, but apparently her libido had other ideas.

Stupid libido.

The man was staring at her in concern again. Maybe if she was lucky the guy would just assume she had a concussion or something and not a freak. She snapped herself out of her mental argument with herself and said, "No it's alright. Nothing's broken. I have to go. Sorry!" she said in a rush, hoping to just be done with the embarrassing situation. She walked towards the exit, only to find the man followed behind her.

She stopped and turned and stared at him, "Can I help you?" she stated rather rudely again.

This guy seemed to bring out the worst in her.

"I just happen to be walking in the same direction miss?" he said in search of a name to put with her face.

"Serenity." She said in a gruff manner. She turned again and walked out the door and refused to look back to see if the man was following her. She walked up to Pupp who barked with glee at seeing her owner again.

"Hey girl!" she said as she undid her leash from the pole she had tied the dog to.

"What a beautiful canine." Stated that silky sinful voice.

Serenity jumped what felt like ten feet in the air as she turned to face the redhead again.

"You again?!" she glared. She thought she was done with this guy. Something about him put her teeth on edge. She felt like a rabbit in the presence of a predator.

Pupp growled deep in her throat and stood in front of Serenity in a show of protection.

The man's head tilted to the side as he stared into the dog's eyes.

"Two different colored eyes? Very unique." He said with analytical interest.

"Yeah she's my baby. Sorry about her, she's not normally like this. What did you say your name was?" Serenity asked as she tried to push Pupp away from the man in case she decided the man was a threat.

"I'm Dr. Shuichi Minamino. I'm the head professor in the botany department here at the university." He said while sticking his hand out to shake. Serenity quirked an eyebrow in interest as she shook his hand. Dr. Minamino. Dr. Minaminnow Dr. Minnow. Heh.

She bowed formally to hide her smirk at her own joke and to show respect to him, "It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Minamino. By the way you don't happen to be the Dr. M my friend was talking about?" He smiled in more amusement again.

"Yes. I am. A pleasure to meet you finally." He said as if he were in on a joke and she was just a bystander.

This man really did rub her the wrong way but she couldn't figure out why.

"Well, nice to meet you. I have to go. Pupp come on, let's go." She said as she rushed away from the man and dragged Pupp along with her, who had been watching with careful eyes.

/PAGE BREAK/

Serenity and Pupp rushed away, practically ran, from the premises. The lady that had asked her to fill out paper after paper would not stop talking about how cute Pupp was and that she had better learn to adapt to the proper culture here in Japan. Jesus, what an oppressive bitch. And that Dr. Shuichi Mini-minnow guy was just freaky! They both seemed to think she was hilarious to laugh at. Was it her Japanese?

"I mean, I speak the language almost fluently!" Serenity glared and grumbled as she spoke to Pupp. The dog stared with intelligent eyes as though to say she agreed with what her master just claimed.

"Besides, it seemed like he was going to freaking kidnap you if I looked away for just a minute! I'd never let you get kidnapped, Pupp. I'd rescue you!" Serenity stated with a dramatic flair as she hugged the dog around the neck.

They sat like that for a few minutes before Pupp began to nervously whine and wriggle in Serenity's grasp. Serenity giggled and let the poor dog go. Pupp sneezed and shook her head before looking at her master. Serenity stared back. Her wonderful companion had her two different colored eyes and a deep brunette coat, almost black, which shined red in the sun. Such a strange dog.

Serenity made a pouty face and hugged her dog again, "ARGH YOU ARE TOO CUTE! WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE?!" she nuzzled the dog and scratched her ears. The dog's response was a contented pant as Serenity scratched at just the right spot on her ears.

Serenity stood up and stretched her arms to the sky, throwing her head back only to be greeted by a grumbling stomach. Serenity stared blankly at the sky before looking down at the dog with comic grief, "Hungrryyyyy" Serenity said in a dramatic manner.

Ever since they left the states, it felt like Serenity could finally act like her normal self.

Serenity took a deep breath and smiled at Pupp, "Let's go get some food at that café. Then I can check my e-mail." She said and walked towards the cyber café.

Once she ordered her food and Pupp's food she sat down on the chairs infront of the computer. Thank goodness for cyber cafes. If she didn't have this to check an email she wouldn't have been able to get a hold of Shu and figure out where to meet them.

Serenity logged onto the system and checked her e-mail. There was mostly junk but there were two e-mails from Shu dated the day before. They wanted to know if she had arrived yet in Japan and that they should meet up.

"Great minds think alike, huh?" Serenity asked Pupp. Pupp ignored her owner and ate her food with hearty appetite.

Serenity rolled her eyes and continued her e-mail.

_Dear Shu,_

_Sorry it has been a while since I last e-mailed you. I ran into some trouble at home but I'm here in Japan now! It's been a hectic few days before that and I finally feel like I can move on with my life here. _

_I know you said you wanted to meet up. I was thinking the same thing! I'm currently at a cybercafé called Nekoneko café. I know it sounds silly but it was the closest place to have wifi. My cellphone doesn't work here since it's not international! (-.-;) _

_I'll likely be here till then close. See you then!_

_Serenity_

With a click Serenity sent the e-mail out and sighed happily.

After a few minutes the computer binged to signal a message arrived.

_Dear Serenity,_

_I believe I will be there to meet you within the hour. I will be wearing khaki pants and a button-up white shirt. We have much to talk about! I look forward to meeting you in person._

_Regards,_

_Shu. _

"Well Pupp it looks like the mysterious Shu will be meeting with us within the hour." Serenity said with a smile as she looked at the dog. The dog ignored her and kept gnawing on a dog bone that Serenity brought with her from the States.

"Mean mutt." Serenity muttered as she stared at the dog with puffed up cheeks. She let the air out slowly in a fart noise and just stared blankly at the screen in front of her.

"I guess I should look for a phone online while I'm here and pick it up from the store after we meet Shu" she said as she started scrolling through the web for a new phone. One that would be international

Serenity looked up and scratched her head in anger. She looked at the door as she heard the chime of the door entryway open

She saw red hair and green eyes searching around the café for someone or something before settling on her own. She glared. It was the same guy.

Wait

WAIIIIIT.

Not him.

He was wearing khaki pants and a button-up white shirt.

Shit.

This was Shu?

As all of these thoughts swirled around in her head -minnow sat down across from her.

Pupp looked up from her bone and growled at Shuichi. He paid the dog no mind.

"Well now. I don't suppose you were expecting to see me again." He said with a chuckle.

"FUCKING A!" she grounded out as her teeth smashed against each other in anger.

Shuichi Minamino blinked in shock at Serenity's choice of words.

"Why didn't you tell me you were Shu?!" she screeched at him. He smiled with his eyes closed like something out of an anime. His lashes touched his cheeks they were so long.

Jesus. What a pretty man.

NO. More anger! Concentrate Serenity!

"Well I didn't really get a chance to explain that when you sauntered off with your dog." He laughed.

"How are you the same person?!" she asked incredulously.

Dr. Minamino stared at her in a manner that suggested he wasn't acting any different.

"I'm sorry were you expecting someone different? I believe I haven't given you any reason to suggest I am someone other than who I have been in our e-mails. Don't forget I also helped you with your transfer to the university here." He said with a somewhat irritated smile.

Serenity calmed immediately. He was right. What if she said something too rude and he revoked his help? She couldn't go back to the States, there was no way she would survive having to go back to that god forsaken area.

Shuichi, or Shu as Serenity knew him, stare in a knowing manner.

She sighed and puffed her red and blonde bangs out of her blue eyes, "You're right. I didn't expect to see you again. I think it's just been a stressful day. I'm sorry." She said somewhat reluctantly.

He smiled in a softer manner, "It's quite alright. I believe I can relate to that. A friend of mine has been gone for about a year now due to his work and he hasn't answered my messages in a while." As he said this his voice became somewhat restrained and the corner of his eyes tightened to reserve his emotions.

Serenity was staring as she analyzed his facial expressions again. How minute they were. She really had to stare to understand what he was thinking. His writing was rather similar to his facial expressions; they were mostly true with bits and pieces hidden underneath.

He stared back and his expression became somewhat uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you're alright, you did hit the floor rather hard earlier." He said with concerned eyes.

She blinked and blushed. She was caught again, "No I'm fine I just have a staring problem I guess." She laughed rather nonchalantly.

/Page Break/

They talked for a while and caught up on their trivial matters that were previously discussed in e-mails.

At last the café was beginning to slow down and Serenity stood up and stretched like an old lady who just got the use of her arms. She groaned with pleasure when she heard her shoulders pop and her elbows creak pleasantly. "Ahhhh, well it was good to catch up with you. I can't believe you were hiding your status this whole time! You're the head professor in the botany department and my pen-pal! Wow! How ingenious." She said as she finished her stretch.

Pupp stood from her guarding spot and stretched as well. She yawned with a wine and wagged her tail at Serenity before narrowing her eyes at Shuichi. Pupp still wasn't comfortable with Shuichi but at least she was done growling at him as long as he kept his distance.

"Yes, I wanted it to be a surprise. I hope you didn't get too upset." He said with another smile.

Serenity shook her head and shrugged. They stood and walked out.

"I have to go purchase a new phone so I will see you later. You don't have to come." She said with a polite smile. She was already setting off with Pupp to find the store where she was picking up her new phone when he replied, "I don't mind. I actually live down this way."

What a stranger man. They walked in silence until they reached the shop and Serenity picked up her phone she pre-paid for. It was a beautiful new phone. And all for her!

She smiled manically at the phone. Was that a bit of drool coming out of her mouth she felt?

She wiped her mouth subtly as she turned it on and began changing contacts over.

"Oh now that I live here I can exchange my number with you! Want to exchange?" she asked with a smile.

Shuichi smiled back as a reflex and then nodded, "That would be great. It's easier to get a hold of me by phone rather than e-mail if it's not school related." He said.

She smiled politely and tried to ignore the feeling of jealousy overtaking her facial features. She wished she could work for the university. All she wanted to do was to get her degree and move on to bigger and better things here in Japan.

They exchanged numbers and they parted ways, promising to text each other soon.

She arrived at her new host home and walked in.

What a crazy day.

-READ AND REVIEW! 3-


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